Made For More

In the late spring of 2001, my oldest son Michael came to me requesting that I allow him to travel to Maine for the weekend with a friend of his. When I asked him the purpose he explained that his friend was returning to the school he had attended to watch some friends graduate. It seems graduating from this particular school is celebrated even more than most as being a major accomplishment because here students are not only graded on academic ability but an emphasis is placed on character growth. Each graduate makes a short speech at the ceremony telling of the impact their educational experience has had on their lives. I was skeptical about allowing my teenage son to travel four hours away, unchaperoned, for forty-eight hours. Coincidentally (God-incidentally) I was hoping to attend a retreat the same weekend, my first since becoming a believer nine months earlier. After praying on the decision,  I agreed to let Michael go. I attended my retreat where I was baptised in the Spirit and he spent the weekend in Bath Maine. This was a weekend that forever changed the lives of our family. Upon his return, Michael was so excited about this school, he couldn't stop talking about how inspired he was by what the graduates had to say, he desperately wanted to attend. He hadn't been doing very well academically in our local high school in spite of a high IQ. He told me he was sure that "this is where I know, I'll do well." Believing in God's provision I encouraged him to take the first steps necessary to gain admittance. By God's grace, he was accepted and fully-financed ( no small feat ) within two weeks! As a requirement of enrollment, the students' family is required to attend the school several times per year as well as monthly meetings in their local area. Hyde had determined that to have a long-lasting impact on the character of their students, the families had to be committed to the process as well. I too became completely enthralled with Hyde's self-discovery process. As I became immersed in the program, my spirit told me two things - first, this gift my family and I were receiving was too big to keep to ourselves and secondly, I was being prepared for something more. I thought that perhaps I was being led to leave my job and go to work at the school but God had a bigger vision. He let me know in His still small voice that I was to stay where I was for the time being. I must admit, I was most impatient but experienced enough to know better than try to get ahead of God. So, the summer of our senior year I was trained to facilitate parent/student seminars, as well as presenting "Parenting - The Biggest Job You'll Ever Have" workshops, later I served as a mentor in my local region and have returned many times as a volunteer facilitator. As time passed, His vision became clearer to me and I began to feel led to develop a Christian version of these teaching and techniques and Made For More was birthed.

Hyde School Founding Story
It began in the early '60s when Founder Joseph Gauld, a highly regarded mathematics teacher, was inspired to found a unique school because he believed that the existing educational system was overly focused on student achievement rather than character. One of Gauld’s brightest students, who had little curiosity and relied primarily on his innate abilities, received the highest grade in the class. Another student, the classic plugger, who could not grasp the course material but who embodied curiosity and a strong work ethic, received a low grade in the class.

Distraught that neither student was best served by the traditional grading system, Gauld started the Hyde School, which operated under a different set of priorities than other schools. The school began with a focus on Five Words: Courage, Integrity, Leadership, Curiosity, and Concern, and the cardinal principle that every individual was born with a unique potential that defines a destiny.

Since then, Hyde has expanded with the opening of a second boarding school in Woodstock, CT, and three public schools, Hyde-DC, Hyde-Bronx, and Hyde-New Haven, CT. 

For more information, visit www.hyde.edu.